When 14 year old Janie is forced to move to London after her parents are accused of being communist, she is, at first, too busy being homesick to realize what she is getting herself into. Her new school is hard, she misses California, and some of her new classmates think they are too cool to be seen anywhere near the new American girl.

It is 1952 and the Cold War is on the rise. Bomb drills are a part of everyday lunchtimes. Janie doesn’t think it could get any worse…

… until a boy named Benjamin Burrows and his mysterious father come into her life.

Mr. Burrows is an apothecary, which is kind of like a pharmacist only about 50 times cooler. How much cooler? Well, after Mr.Burrows is kidnapped by Russian spies, Janie and Benjamin are left to guard the apothecary’s book of elixir recipes. They are sent on an adventure that requires butt kicking, turning into birds, and creating a relationship that I fell in love with.

Honestly, I’m not normally one to pick up anything that takes place more than 20 years ago. This is a major exception! All the potions, cleverness of the characters, and mysteries grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go until the very end.

For anyone that has ever had to leave some one or some where they loved, Janie is a very relatable character. She starts off scared and confused by all the changes. However, she makes it through. Hidden under all the awesome, this book has a few good life lessons that are worth tuning into.

Overall, The Apothecary has something for everyone. History lovers and fantasy fans alike will be unable to put this one down!

Neither did Zara when, after her stepfather dies, is sent to live with her (step)grandmother in Maine. At first, it seems relatively normal. Zara gets the ‘new girl’ looks while freezing her butt off in the New England winter… yet something seems…

…different?

Zara soon learns about the boys that are disappearing…and you won’t believe who their kidnapper is.

When I first picked this up, I figured, Hey, pixies, how sinister can it get?

Ha ha ha ha…wrong.

Tinkerbell’s cousins have a dark side, nothing does a better job of pointing it out to the world than this book.

Jones creates a wide blend of characters that make you laugh while you scream inside in this book that combines unpredictable story twists, the extent on how weird a family can get, and, yes, a hot shirtless werewolf.

Liked Need? You might also enjoy…Evermore by Alyson NoelStork by Wendy Desol

WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS POST UNTIL YOU HAVE READ HEX HALL… IT MAY SPOIL THE ENDING!

After deciding to go through the Removal at the end of Hex Hall, our sassy little demon is dragged to England with her father for the summer. Sophie gets the surprise of her life when she meets Daisy and Nick, two other demons that will be staying with her for a few months. Only problem? Sophie and her dad are supposed to be the only demons that exist.

Weird enough yet?

Didn’t think so.

After Nick and Daisy sneak Sophie off to a club for Prodigium, Archer shows up… and you won’t believe what he is up to this time.

I read Hex Hall about a month ago, and instantly wished I had a friend like Sophie. Demonglass is no different. There is just as much (if not more!) action, magic, romance, and smart-ass comebacks that I will surely have to find a way to use in real life. Hawkins creates a world that is a must read for anyone that likes fantasy, crazy relationships, and stories about finding where you belong.

Liked Demonglass? You might also enjoy…Hex Hall by Rachel HawkinsOnce a Witch by Carolyn Maccullough

“Well, this is odd,” was my first thought after picking up Wither. It is the start of the Chemical Garden Trilogy, and it is anything but normal. This relativity quick read follows Rhine, a 16 year old living in a disturbing future where, thanks to science gone wrong, girls only live to be 20 and boys die at 25. Rhine is captured and sold to a wealthy mansion owner to be a wife. She is deeply bothered by this idea, and desperately starts looking for a way to escape. Having little luck with that, she is forced to get used to the idea that she will be spending the last 4 years of her life a prisoner in “paradise”. Things get even more hectic for Rhine when one of her sister wives has a baby… mash all that in with all her other problems and Rhine in convinced that things couldn’t get any worse.

This, well, unique story has several adult topics, so I do not recommend it for younger readers. Older readers, however, will be on the edge of their seats as Rhine worriedly tries to change her fate. The sequel, Fever, came out last month and I can’t wait to read it!

Like Wither? You might also enjoy…Cinder by Marissa MeyerBitter End by Jennifer Brown

You are always told to think choices over, be aware of the possible outcomes, and remember that your choices can effect other people. For 16 year- old Beatrice Prior, that could not be any more true. In future Chicago, teens must make the choice of what to devote their lives to: Candor, honesty; Abnegation, selflessness; Amity, peace; Dauntless, bravery; or Erudite, intelligence. They must take the test to see where they belong, but the ultimate choice is up to them. After their choice is made, they must prove that they chose correctly or risk living on the streets for the rest of their lives.

Beatrice always knew that she didn’t fit in with the rest of her Abnegation family. There was always a little piece of her that couldn’t be 100% selfless. When it is time for her to choose, she makes a decision that surprises everyone… even herself.

The beginning was a little slow, but after the first few chapters Beatrice will take you on a thrilling ride involving trust, family, and discovering who you really are.

Now tell me: What would you chose? Would you join me in creating peace in Amity, or jump of trains in Dauntless? How about some friendly debates in Candor? Invent a new simulation with Erudite? How about help others in Abnegation? Talk about it in the comments!

Liked Divergent? You might also enjoy…Variant by Robison WellsMatched by Allyson CondieThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The futuristic life of 17 year old Cinder is very different than what we know. There are people living on the moon, Earth’s nations have been changed to form bigger, more powerful countries, there is a plague killing off everyone… and if that wasn’t enough, Cinder is a cyborg.

It starts out as just another day for Cinder. She is working as a mechanic to provide for her not-so-loving stepmother when a particular visitor comes to her booth. Could it be?… Prince Kai? When the widely adored prince asks Cinder for help fixing his android, Cinder thinks that it will only be another big project for her busy life.
Things take a startling turn when her stepmother sends her off to be a test subject for plague research… something that almost no one survives. Cinder soon finds herself learning new and scary things about her neighbors, the disease, and herself.

This twist on the original Cinderella story provides a perfect balance of romance, adventure, and thrill. It will leave you itching the sequel!

Liked Cinder? You might also enjoy…Across the Universe by Beth RevisDelirium by Lauren Oliver

Hello, readers! Welcome to Word(nothingelse)! The books you will be seeing are reviewed by a teen (me) and I will try to post at least once a week. Most the books are going to be YA science-fiction, but there will be different genres and a few books for middle grades. As of March 5th, I have read 27 books in 2012 and I am working on my 28th-30th. So, as you can see, I REALLY love to read!

My top 3 favorite books are
*Gone by Michael Grant
*Across the Universe by Beth Revis
*I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore